ℤ𝕒𝕟𝕖

"Are you sure it's safe?" Ava asks, her eyes wide.

"Of course," I say. "Why?"

"Oh, I dunno, maybe the fact that a bunch of demons attacked you yesterday?"

Ah. That.

"That was different, love." I sit beside her on the edge of the bed and rub my palm along her thigh. "When we were attacked, it was because we went behind enemy lines, so to speak. This is just a night out at the pub. Contrary to how it may seem, demons aren't everywhere."

"Just everywhere we go."

Fair dues.

It's strange to know that she worries about me—the Immortal who has been alive for several human lifetimes. But when it comes to herself, she's ready to charge right into danger with no regard for her own safety.

My little human daredevil wants to keep me safe.

I fucking love this woman.

"I should come," she says with a resolute stare.

"You going to protect me if we run into a demon, baby?"

"Well.... No. Shut up, okay? I dunno. I just don't like the idea of you being in danger and me not being there to do something about it."

I wrap my arms around her and pull her into my lap.

"I kind of like the idea of you beating someone up for me," I tease.

"Wouldn't be the first time. I did kick Asmodeus's ass if you'll recall."

"How could I forget?" I give her a kiss on the cheek and she giggles.

I convince Ava that I'll be fine without her and she heads out to the living room where Kieran is waiting. I slip on a T-shirt and jeans before joining them. Ava is wrapped in a blanket on the couch while the two of them watch TV.

"You look good," Kieran says. "Could probably do with a looser T-shirt, though. I'm trying to get laid tonight, not you, remember? I'm supposed to be the hot one."

"You're supposed to be the hot one? Guess you should work on that, eh?"

I smirk and he shoots me a glare.

"If you weren't so gorgeous, I might be mad at you for that little comment."

"Ahh, but I am so..."

"Uggh," a voice groans from behind me. I turn to see Morgan standing in the corner with his arms crossed and his lips pinched into a thin line. "It's bad enough that I have to watch Kieran flirt with Finn all the time, but this? You're both attractive. Let's end it there, shall we?"

So I guess Morgan is here then. Great.

"Speaking of Finn..." I decide to change the subject rather than engage. "Is he here yet?"

"No, Finn called me, said he couldn't make it after all. Some sort of family thing, he said."

"F- Finn's not coming?" The words catch slightly in my throat.

"I told him I could handle anything that comes up. Not like Finn's powers are of much use in a fight anyway."

My eyes narrow as I look between him and Ava. I know I can trust Ava, but I don't feel comfortable with this bloke at all. My first interaction with him is still burned into my memory.

I've never been so directly challenged for Ava before. I still kind of want to kill him.

Is it possible to kill someone just a little bit?

"You okay?" Ava asks, snapping me out of the thought.

Me? Oh, I'm fine. Just trying to not act like a jealous cunt.

"Yeah, baby. Why?" I lean down to give her a kiss. Morgan snickers, obviously sensing how I'm actually feeling.

"Your eyes are a little..."

"Ah... um... no, I'm fine. I was just thinking... maybe you were right. Maybe you should come with us. It would be more fun. Plus, you haven't been to an English pub yet."

"Uhh... I love Ava, I do," Kieran says, "but when she's there you just obsess over her all night. I'd prefer to not die of hunger."

"Piss off, mate. I'm not going to obsess over Ava. You'll still get your meal."

"He's right," Ava says. "You do worry too much about me. Besides, I don't want to intrude on your boys' night."

"I can join you," Morgan chimes in. "That's what I'm here to do, right? Look after you? Doesn't really matter to me where we go. I could go for a pint anyway."

Wanker.

"Well, I'm not too fond of inviting another ultra-smoking-hot dude to compete against," Kieran says. "But eh, why the hell not—the more the merrier!"

Ava agrees and retreats to the bedroom to change her outfit. After fifteen minutes or so, she emerges in a tight leather miniskirt and black sweater with leather boots.

"Is this okay?" she asks, looking down and straightening out her skirt.

I swallow hard as my eyes follow her curves.

Bloody hell. This woman lives to torture me.

*****

We're greeted by loud music, raucous chatter, and the smell of beer and warm shepherd's pie. I spot an open table toward the back and I head past the band with Ava's hand in mine. We sit down and my eyes take a moment to adjust to the warm dim light.

"So this is a real live British pub?" Kieran asks. "I'm not sure what I expected, but it's kind of just a bar with more exposed brick. I guess the Brits were the original hipsters."

Cheeky arse.

"I'm going to get us a round. Cider for you?" I ask Ava, who nods in response. "For you two?"

"Beer, whatever's good," Kieran says.

I turn to Morgan for his order.

"Newcastle," he says. "Cheers."

I make my way to the bar. The pub is lively with its usual Friday night crowd—university students, rowdy football fans, and a few regulars that I imagine are here during most times of the day. After a minute or so waiting at the bar, I order our drinks then make my way back to the table with a tray in hand.

"Thanks, dude!" Kieran says, grabbing his beer off the tray. The others grab their drinks and I take my own, taking a heavy swig of beer.

"Have you scoped out any targets yet?"

Kieran shoots me a knowing smile and tilts his head in the direction of a nearby table. A group of girls is sitting together in a booth, clearly all dressed for a night out.

"The hoop earrings," he says.

Only one of them has big, gold hoop earrings. She has voluminous curly brown hair and dark skin and is wearing a tight silk dress and heels. She's well overdressed for a pub.

Ava nods in understanding and Kieran and I approach the table. Kieran uses one of his usual lines, and before long we're seating amongst the women. Two of them seem particularly smitten with me, and I keep having to push their hands off of me. Neither seems to be receiving my message.

Hopefully it's not upsetting Ava.

I look over to their table, but Morgan is now sitting alone. He catches my eyes and smirks, but points toward the band. Ava is standing in front of the band amongst a crowd, dancing by herself to the music.

My heartbeat slows as I watch her dance. She looks so happy, bouncing up and down as she swings her arms and sings along to the music. I know she doesn't dance a lot because it causes her pain, but I'm glad she's feeling well enough to get lost in the moment—if only for a minute.

The girls seem to continue talking, despite the fact that I'm clearly ignoring them. I turn back to Morgan, whose face is mostly still, but his mouth is turned up slightly at the edge as he watches her dance.

I'd like to think he's smiling at Ava's less-than-coordinated dancing, but my gut churns at the thought that he could be smiling at her the way I do—with adoration.

Stop.

I turn my attention back to my table, where the conversation seems to be flowing seamlessly without my participation. A string of discomfort tugs at me, pulling my attention back to Morgan.

No. Ava is with you. Fuck this guy.

But I can't help it. I find myself turning toward him again, but this time his expression is different. His mouth has pinched into a thin, straight line. His brows are furrowed and his eyes narrow and questioning. I follow his gaze to Ava, who has stopped dancing and is now talking to a dark-haired man who towers over her small frame.

Who the fuck is that?

I look back to Kieran, who has his tongue down the girl's throat in the corner of the booth.

Fuck it.

I quickly excuse myself from the table and speed over to Ava, but Morgan beats me there.

"Stupid American bitch," the man curses.

I'm not sure what has happened, but I've already heard enough to want to knock this man out.

"Take a big step back there," Morgan says, his voice low and threatening.

The man instead takes a staggered step toward Morgan, which only seems to make Morgan smile.

"I've got this," I say to Morgan, stepping forward as I sweep Ava behind me.

"This is what you hired me to do," he says under his breath.

He's right. I hired him to protect Ava. But somehow, the idea of him being the one to take care of her has me feeling sick.

"But I'm here now," I say, trying to situate myself between him and the man.

"And so am I." He glares at me and grabs the man's wrist. The man tries to swing for him but he grabs his other wrist in midair. "Apologize and go home."

The man blinks a few times before looking to Ava.

"I'm sorry. It was my mistake. I'm really drunk." He immediately turns and exits the pub.

"See," Morgan says with a smirk. "Handled."

Did this bloody bastard just use my own powers to defend my girlfriend in front of me?